The trio of conspirators obtained battery acid at a car parts store, and made the acid stronger by evaporating the water from it, police said.

Dmitrichenko, who studied Filin's schedule, called Lipatov and Zarutsky when he saw Filin leave the theater on the cold night of January 17, police said.

As Filin entered the security code at the door of his Moscow apartment, authorities say, Zarutsky confronted him and tossed the sulfuric acid into his face. It caused third-degree burns and left him blinded.

Act 3 - Moscow Police Headquarters

Detectives pored over interviews with those who knew Filin and had suspicions about who would harm him. Other clues led them to several cell phones that Dmitrichenko had registered in other people's names, according to a police statement.

Calls from those phones led investigators to Lipatov, the alleged driver.

"I didn't see what happened there," Lipatov told them in a video released by police. "I just took Yuri there, waited for him and gave him a lift back."

When an interrogator asked Zarutsky about the crime, he allegedly said, "I don't want to talk about it."

Police concluded a "hostile relationship" stemming from Dmitrichenko's professional interaction with Filin was his motive.

Act 4 - A Moscow Court

The three men faced a judge Thursday, who ordered that they be kept in police custody until the investigation is over.

If convicted, the attackers could face up to eight years in jail for willfully inflicting damage on the health of another.

It may take at least six months for Filin to recover from the burns.

In the meantime, Galina Stepanenko, a former principal dancer, will run the company.

She says she's going to follow Filin's plans and she believes the dancers will now be united by greater respect and care for each other.

Doctors performed a skin graft on Filin and, after a second eye surgery, they were able to save his sight.

His colleagues are now working to ensure his artistic vision isn't lost.